siblings
by tomatohunter
Summary: a series of oneshots on the siblings in pjo/hoo. yay.
1. Chapter 1

It was silent. Dark. Empty. Not exactly a place for children. And yet a young girl of twelve was seated outside the tent, keeping watch. While an older boy of fourteen was inside, sound asleep.

Without thinking, she took out a photograph from her pocket. That photograph was like her comfort object for her, but she had never really looked at it. She did, now. It showed two children, looking nothing alike. Except for their eyes. The girl was about nine, the boy about two. They were grinning at the camera happily. The day at the beach. When little Jason died. When everything started going downhill. Memories flooded her, and she let them overflow her.

" _Mom! I can take care of Jason, you know," she grumbled._ And I have been, since he was born because you didn't want to do so, _she thought angrily._

" _Thalia," her mother spoke with such gentleness it surprised her. "You deserve a break. Go on, have fun."_

 _Thalia hesitated a little. Then making up her mind, she sprinted off to edge of the waters. Probably the worst decision she ever made. Seeing as she had to return to hysterical mother and a non-existent little brother._

 _It seemed like one of those poorly written essays on 'My worst day at the beach'. Except for the fact that this was real. Her brother was_ dead _. Her mother was drinking more than usual. She was yelling more often._

 _And it was all because she chose to leave._

A single tear dripped down her chin, narrowly missing the photo. The sun was rising. Had she really been up that long? Her eyes flitted to the tent flap as a blonde boy walked out. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if this was what Jason would look like when he turned fourteen. Then she shook her head. The pain would never go away if she kept dwelling on it.

"What's that?" he asked, moving next to her.She picked up the picture and stuffed it back into her pocket.

Somehow, she just couldn't tell anyone about him.

"Nothing," she smiled, leaning on his shoulder. "Absolutely nothing."


	2. Chapter 2

It was still dark when a lone figure crossed into the graveyard. Nobody noticed. It might have been a shadow or the stray cat. In his hands were a small bouquet of white daisies that clashed with his pitch black clothes and hair. It was like the only thing that was living. His footsteps were silent as he walked over to an empty plot of land.

Empty. Except for a small ring of grass surrounding a single daisy. It was her favourite flower. He could still remember the day he got one for her.

 _A small pair of hands reached out for the little flower. It was his sister's birthday and he did not know what to get for her. So he resulted in scrounging an abandoned garden for something she might like. It was futile until he saw it. Just a small, white flower standing in the middle of a patch of grass. He couldn't remember the name, but he knew that she liked it._

" _Nico!" a voice came from behind the shrubbery. It sounded panicked. Anxious. He whirled around, face to face with an older girl, hair messed up and clothes dirty. "What did you think you were doing?" she demanded._

 _Nico was still clutching the flower. "Your birthday," he mumbled, lifting it up. The image of the flower stood out in her eyes – a white speck in a sea of black. All her worry seemed to evaporate as she took it. Then, he remembered the name. A daisy. Somehow, Bianca said that it meant something to her. She just didn't know what it was. She couldn't remember._

 _Daisies just meant something special to her._

Digging a shallow hole for the daisies felt like another burial. Not that Bianca ever had one, anyway. It hurt more than he realised. Tears fell onto the soft earth, watering the flowers.

"Nico." The voice was soft, soothing. For a moment, he was reminded of Bianca. Then he turned around and their eyes met.

"Will," he replied. There was no need to explain, or try to smile. Will understood. He always did. With a sad smile on his face, he made his way over to him and wrapped him in a hug.

"Daisies represent hope," he whispered. Nico could only nod.

Daisies meant something to him, too.

*o*o*o*

She is two, and her mother is expecting a new child. That meant a little brother for her. Or sister. It didn't really matter either way. She needed some company. She really can't wait for February to come around. Or January. It didn't really matter. In her eyes, the world was only so large. The sooner something happened, the better.

She is three, and her brother is turning one. Her mother says he is intelligent. She agrees. He can say four more words than the other toddler in the neighbourhood. It is a good time for them all. With their blissful ignorance and innocent minds, the world is getting bigger, with new places to explore and much more things to do.

She is four and her little brother can run around, giggling. They enjoy playing with their skeletal dog and colouring. If she were to make a list of the things she liked to do, these two would be on top. As long as her little brother was there. To her, the world was big enough. She had everything she needed.

She is five and she just had the first taste of bullying. Being pushed to the corner of the playset and having her lunch snatched away from her. She decides that she doesn't really like school too much because her dog and her brother can't come with her. The world is getting bigger and she doesn't really want to see what's out there after the bullying. _Especially_ after the bullying.

She is six and she just found a flower growing at the edge of her garden. Surprisingly, she has never seen it before. Her mother says that it's a daisy. It's pretty, and small, and pure. Her mother says that she's just like a daisy. She believes it, and tries to act like one.

She is seven, and they have moved to Washington D.C. It's loud and noisy and busy. Not like their little village back in Italy. With little flowers growing in the gardens and the brown cobblestones that make up the street. Everything is different. The world is larger than she thought.

She is eight and she finds herself in a large building called the Lotus Casino. Her little brother is with her, but she cannot remember anything. How she got here, who she was. Everything. They told her their names were Bianca and Nico. She believed them. Time flies by as they stay in a land full of complex devices she had never seen before. Time is frozen. And so is the world. In her eyes, at least.

She is still eight when a well-dressed man who calls himself a lawyer walked in and took them out. She doesn't know him, but she still follows, anyway. He takes them off to a new life. With school and normal things children do. Something seemed different, though. It was as if the world wasn't getting bigger or smaller. Rather, it was like it had changed entirely.

She is nine and for three years, she has been taking care of her brother with no adult to watch over them. It's a change. And little Nico has mastered the art of being the annoying and yet sweet brother. Sometimes she got tired of watching him. Like the time where he spent the entire day squealing and jumping around excitedly because he was chosen as the _tree_ for a play. _A freaking tree._ Other times, she just felt a surge of protectiveness for him. Like when a large, buff kid decided to pick on Nico just because he was small and was what people called a 'nerd'. She had beaten the boy up and yelled at him for bullying. Bianca was quite fond of him, really. On the inside at least.

She is twelve when her vice principal decided to attack her, a bunch of kids barge into her school and rescue her, then meet a goddess and become part of her immortal maiden club. Fun. The only thing she regretted so badly was seeing Nico look at her with his innocent eyes and then turn away, half sadly, half angrily. The hurt and betrayal in his eyes carried with her for the rest of her life.

He was the reason that she ignored Percy and ran straight to her death. Guilt. She wanted so badly to turn back time and reject the offer. So that she would be with him in camp. Training, protecting him from evil bus drivers and crazy old ladies. If only she did that. It hurt to watch him stand next to a small patch of daisies and cry over what was left of her. It hurt to watch him talk about her like she was gone. She wasn't.

But this only happened because of one wrong decision. It was all her fault, and she wouldn't be there to repair the damage that she had caused.

 **hi! i actually managed to hit 1000 this time! (yeah i know it's not a lot but...) please review and tell me what you think. and also, thanks for reading!**

 **Yours in demigodishness and all that,  
Peace out.**

 **-tomatohunter**


	3. Chapter 3

"Taya?" a small, hesitant voice rang out among the ruins. "Taya!" it was more desperate now. A whimper escaped the child's lips. "Mommy!" his voice echoed through the stone walls. Confused, afraid and anxious, the child wandered the area, calling out for his mother and sister.

A low growl cut his pleas. The boy turned around to face a wolf. It had crept up silently, like cat. He didn't know that wolves could be so silent.

" _Jason Grace",_ it growled. Jason felt shivers run up his spine. The way his name was being said was so unlike his sister's gentle, playful tone. It was cold and harsh. _"I am Lupa. The guardian of Rome. Prove yourself to me. I know you are worthy."_ Jason looked at her curiously, stretching out a hand as though to pat her. Then, looking at her hard, unyielding eyes, he decided against it and let his hand fall to his side limply.

Silently, she turned around and headed deeper into the house. With the child-like innocence and curiosity he had, Jason followed.

* * *

"Hello," Winnie smiled, kneeling down so she was at eye level with him. The son of Jupiter grinned back widely. "Happy Birthday! Five already, huh?"

Jason nodded vigorously. And all of a sudden, he recalled the last time he had a birthday celebration - never. However, he could still remember a black-haired girl by the name of Thalia buying a small cupcake for him. They placed two candles on it, singing birthday songs quietly so that their mother would not hear. "Make a wish, Jase," she had whispered in the loving tone that he remembered so clearly. Jason had blown out the candles, wishing for Thalia to be happy. Thalia had smiled, ruffled his hair and gave him the entire cupcake. She had ended up eating half of it, anyway.

The little memory made him smile. And feel a little nostalgic. _Where is she, now? Where does she think I am? Is she alright?_ Winnie ruffled his hair, just like how Thalia did, and said, "I'll take care of you Jason. We're practically family. I promise." His eyes felt moist and he suddenly felt older than he actually was.

" _I promise." Thalia said solemnly. "I'll take care of you."_

Winnie Jacobs died a year later on his sixth birthday. Hit and run by some idiotic reckless driver. And all that Jason could do was sit and wonder why she even left Camp in the first place.

Then he figured that this was probably how Thalia felt after he was taken away. He missed her. He missed them both.

Maybe it was selfish to think that they both broke their promises. But he still did, anyway.

* * *

"It is now time for me to step down and hand over my leadership as praetor." The praetor's voice echoed around the senate room. "So, may I invite our centurion of the fifth cohort and son of our king Jupiter, Jason Grace." Jason's eyes widened and Octavian blinked in confusion.

"Go," Reyna hissed, pushing him toward the podium. Hesitantly, he got up, stumbled over his toga. His heart rate increased and his breath hitched. "I- I accept, "he managed to choke out. The former praetor smiled and pinned the cloak onto his back. "May the fates bless you." The cheering was deafening, even though most of it came from the Lares. It reminded him of the time he was dressing up as a king.

" _There. Done. See?" Thalia said as she fixed the red cloak onto his shirt._

" _I'm a king now?" he asked, turning his wide eyes towards his sister. She laughed and bowed down dramatically. "Of course, Your Highness," she agreed_

" _Thalia!" their mother's shrill voice rang loudly. Thalia let out an audible sigh, while Jason continued to toddle around the room gleefully. "I'll be back soon, okay?" she muttered. He acted as though he couldn't hear. He probably couldn't. "Imma king, Imma king," he grinned, marching around the room._

" _You are, Jason. And you always will be. I know." Thalia whispered as she walked out._

And at that moment, he suddenly wanted to be back in his room, standing on an upturned cardboard box, looking into eyes that mirrored his perfectly. Being a praetor might be great, though. But it will always be second to his memories.

* * *

He woke up with one name in mind— _Thalia._ He wasn't too sure who she was, or how he knew her. All his memories were jumbled up. Nothing came to mind when he tried to recall it. The only thing he remembered very clearly was that creepy wolf who loved making riddles and making him more confused than he already was.

Even after the incident with the storm spirits and finding out about the _Camp_ (somehow, it made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside when she said 'Camp'), none of his memories resurfaced.

It was only when he found that picture did memories then start to surface. That girl looked strangely familiar. And for some reason, he couldn't shake off the feeling that it had something to do with this _Thalia._ She was the only thing he remembered. So he hung onto her like the safety blanket she had given—wait. He tried to recall them, and this time, it came to him faster, easier.

" _When are you going to give that up? I swear, even after you've grown up, you're never going to let that_ thing _go," an exasperated sigh followed the words._ It sounded so familiar, and yet so foreign. _"Do you know how dirty that thing gets?" The little blond toddler ignored her and proceeded in clutching it tighter. Never letting go._

Jason wondered where that blanket was, now. Silently, he wondered why such a tiny thing could have made such an impact on him. The sad thing was, none of his bigger memories would come back. But still, it was progress. And it was better than nothing.

* * *

When he found his sister, he almost thought that she would fall back into the snow from shock. Apparently, some creepy goddess (who happened to be the one he was about to save) had abducted him, leading to Thalia thinking that their mother had killed him which then lead to her running away from home but head first into a whole lot of trouble. Instantly, he felt really bad for her and he couldn't help but blame it on himself. And maybe Hera/Juno as well.

Then he saw the gleam in her eyes as she spoke, and then, he realised that maybe even though the was miles away from where he was from, he was already home. As long as they were together, nothing could go wrong.

 **Thanks for reading. Sorry for not updating sooner. I just had a lot of stuff going on. And yeah, the ending was a bit crappy but this was done in a rush so...**

 **Please review!**

 **-tomatohunter**


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